Friday, January 20, 2017

A new project: the playroom

We always knew that we need to get the playroom taken care of soon. It leaks whenever it rains, it has no carpet, and it's outdated. We haven't touched it since we moved in (although the kids do play in it.)

The area where it leaks

But now we have a reason to finally take care of it.

As I am going along in my studies for dog training, I've been thinking, contemplating, and praying about what to do with it when I'm done. Long story short, I will be doing what most trainers do: I will teach classes and do private sessions. (The two combined is called "the bread and butter of dog training.")

At first, I wasn't sure if I wanted to teach. I hate public speaking. I freeze up. I have some pretty traumatic memories of speeches that I have told for school. But it would be a silly reason not to pursue this just because I am afraid to speak in front of people.

Then of course, there is the dilemma of deciding where to hold the classes. The options are endless: you can train at a community center, veterinarians, pet stores, groomers and even garages. I know of a class that taught in a storage unit. It doesn't really matter to the dogs and people don't expect anything nice or fancy--as long as they have somewhere clean to sit.

But none of those options work for me--mainly because we live so far away from everything.

The second dilemma is that even though you can create your own schedule, most people are free on the weekends and that is the best time to hold classes. But Dennis works the weekend shift and as usual, I have no one to watch the kids.

And the third dilemma was overhead costs. Even if I were to team up with a pet store, groomers, vet, ect--I have no money--and I mean none--to pay rent. So many obstacles for something so simple!

Then one day, as I was watching a movie with the kids in the playroom, it hit me: why not hold the classes in the playroom? The room is certainly large enough, the carpet has already been ripped out (due to the constant leaking water) and there is a walk-out to the backyard where training could be held on nice days. (And more dog-friendly too.)

The best part is that I wouldn't have to leave the house or take time away from the family (other than the times I would be training) and of course, I would save money with no overhead!

Obviously, having a business in the home is going to be something to adjust to for everyone, but there are definitely more pros than there are cons to this solution. The kids can still play in the playroom during the day, but will be off-limits in the evenings. No Legos or toys on the floor--everything in totes with lids on it! That hole in the wall will need to be covered up, and we would have to clear a lot of things out, like the Ping-Pong table. But it's doable! We will see!

And so, the playroom is finally going to get a make-over! I plan to keep it simple but hopefully appealing. It had to be done eventually, so it might as well be now.

The question is if the location will work. If not, the worst thing that will happen is that I will have to move to another location and come up with money for rent.

There is more in store to this plan, but as it is still in discernment and too soon to talk about, that is all I will tell you for now. I hope to be able to share my secret very soon, but at the same time, want to be prudent. (I have a bad habit of blabbing my life to everyone.)